William Shakespeare Sonnet Form

Sonnet 130

To be or not to be,

that is the question…

By: Robby Ray and Robin Miller

Life and Times of the Late Great William Shakespeare– The actual date of William Shakespeare’s birth is unknown,

but April 23 is traditionally accepted as his birthday. – Although there were no records on where he attended school,

due to his father’s official position, it would have seemed likely that his father would have chosen to educated him.

– Some speculation shows that Shakespeare was married to Anna Hathaway.

– It was reasonable to believe that he was first to be married to an Anna Whateley, but no extensive records are found.

– Between the years of 1578-82 and 1585-92 there are no records of William Shakespeare, these are known as the lost years.

The Death of William Shakespeare

– His death was supposedly on April 23 (the same day of his birth). Cause of death unknown.

– He is buried at the Holy Trinity church in Stratford.– His tombstone is inscribed with a curse.

Good friend for Jesus sake forbear

to dig the dust enclosed here!

Blest be the man that spares these

stones,

and curst be he that moves my

bones.

WorksHis works are composed of comedies, histories, tragedies and a

few poems.

Sonnet FormA sonnet is fundamentally a dialectical construct

which allows the poet to examine the nature and ramifications of two usually contrastive ideas, emotions, states of mind, beliefs, actions, events, images, etc., by juxtaposing the two against each other, and possibly resolving or just revealing the tensions created and operative between the two.

Basically, you show two related but differing

things to the reader in order to communicate something about those

things.

Sonnet Form Cont.The English sonnet has the simplest and most flexible

pattern of all sonnets, consisting of 3 quatrains of alternating rhyme and a couplet:

a b a bc d c de f e fg g

}Alternating rhyme

< CoupletTurn >

Sonnet 130

My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun; Coral is far more red than her lips' red;

If snow be white, why then her breasts are dun;

If hairs be wires, black wires grow on her head.

I have seen roses damask'd, red and white, But no such roses see I in her cheeks;

And in some perfumes is there more delight

Than in the breath that from my mistress reeks.

I love to hear her speak, yet well I know That music hath a far more pleasing sound;

I grant I never saw a goddess go; My mistress, when she walks, treads on the

ground:And yet, by heaven, I think my love as rare

As any she belied with false compare.